A NORTH firm is helping oil and gas industries get their staff ready for work with plans to install the largest purpose-built training platform in the UK.

Teesside Rigging & Lifting is investing nearly £150,000 in its latest expansion with £75,000 coming from UKSE, the Tata Steel business- support subsidiary that helped it launch four years ago.

Steve Smith, who has more than 20 years of experience working in the sector, both on and off-shore, spotted a gap in the market with Aberdeen being the nearest centre for expertise.

Teesside Rigging & Lifting has moved from Middlesbrough to a 6,500 sq ft site in Stockton where the training platform is. As well as training, it gives companies from across the UK technical expertise, including site surveys and management, competency programmes and risk assessments.

Two more instructors are joining the six-strong team this month and Smith is confidently planning to double business over the next year.

“With a strong team, the right premises, equipment, investment and the best accredited courses in place, we are now ready for real growth,” he said.

“As far as we know our training platform is the largest in the UK and has been specifically designed so that we can simulate the full range of conditions that people working in this sector experience. Companies are investing more in training to meet current legislation and they can be confident that we are providing the very best.

“We have a lot of plans for the future including working more directly with unemployed people and apprentices to help them into work.” “I owe a lot to UK Steel Enterprise because they had confidence in me in 2008 when they gave me a £3,000 investment to start the business. Now they have stepped in again to help finance this expansion and I am very grateful for their continued support and advice.”